Today we’re extremely excited to share two big announcements that deliver on what are easily the most frequently requested asks from our community over the last few years: First, Halo: Reach is being added to Halo: The Master Chief Collection (MCC) and second, the entire collection is coming to PC via the Microsoft Store and Steam! This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for us to bring the Halo Universe and Master Chief’s story to a new audience and to offer PC gamers a chance to step into the franchise on the PC platform of their choice.

For the team at 343 Industries, the most important and critical element of this project is ensuring that Halo: The Master Chief Collection delivers a true “first class” experience on PC. We’re embarking on a journey with our community to build a PC experience that delivers on PC gamer expectations. The team is passionately committed to ensuring that all of the features, bells, and whistles expected in a modern PC title are included with MCC.

The Master Chief’s arrival on PC will happen in stages with each title releasing one by one over time -– giving the development teams the ability to ensure each one is right, while giving players a chance to jump in right away, rather than having to wait for the entire suite of games to be completed. Our current plan is for this journey to begin with the launch of Halo: Reach – the fictional beginnings of Master Chief’s saga – with the rest of the titles following in chronological order thereafter. Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST (Campaign), and Halo 4 will each be available for individual purchase within MCC as they become available. And each game will evolve and grow over time with community input.

Along with “bring Halo: The Master Chief Collection to PC!”, the next loudest refrain from Halo fans has been to “add Halo: Reach to Halo: The Master Chief Collection!” and we’re excited to make good on both requests later this year. Halo: Reach in Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One looks better than ever in stunning 4K/HDR on compatible hardware and plays better than ever at a silky smooth 60FPS.

On Xbox One specifically, Halo: Reach’s multiplayer content (which includes Forge and the Theater) will be automatically included for everyone who owns Halo: The Master Chief Collection while Halo: Reach’s Campaign and Firefight experiences will be offered together as a premium digital add-on. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will have access to the entirety of Halo: Reach within MCC as part of their subscription. Halo: Reach will look and play just as great when it lands on the Microsoft Store and Steam with Campaign, Multiplayer, and Firefight available for purchase as the first step in this PC journey.

We know many of you will have questions, so stay tuned to Halo Waypoint – we’ll have plenty more to say, share, and show on the road to release. The team at 343 Industries, along with our partners at Splash Damage and Ruffian, are already hard at work and we can’t wait to bring the community along on this journey.

On behalf of the entire 343 Industries team, thank you to everyone who’s continued to play and support Halo and Halo: The Master Chief Collection and for not giving up on the dream of one day enjoying these great experiences on a PC.

Will Tuttle, Xbox Wire Editor in Chief, posted a recap of everything announced at gamescom. Details below:

Here at Xbox, we love gamescom because it allows us to connect more directly with our fans, both here in Germany and across Europe. Our European audience has always been important to us, and we’re continuing our ongoing commitment to talent and great studios in Europe, including Playground Games, Ninja Theory, Rare, and Mojang. We could not be more excited to be here in Cologne, where our fans are enjoying one of the most diverse selection of games in recent years with 25 playable titles in our booth. From fast-paced action games to thrilling driving games to fun platformers, games play best on Xbox One.

Today, via a special episode of Inside Xbox broadcast directly from our booth at gamescom, we gave fans here in Germany and around the world a closer look at some of the exciting games coming to Xbox One over the next year, unveiled new Xbox One bundles and accessories, revealed new Xbox Game Pass titles, and much more.

More on Forza Horizon 4’s Team Multiplayer Action

As Forza Horizon 4 races towards launch, we got more information about Team Adventure, the new competitive multiplayer mode that allows players to team up and take on the world in races, games and frantic Freeroam Rushes. With brand new Leagues to rise through, unique rewards to be won and prestigious Grandmaster titles to aim for, start picking your teammates now and be ready when the first four-week series begins on Oct. 2 when Forza Horizon 4 launches worldwide on Xbox One, Windows 10 and included with Xbox Game Pass.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Graduating from Xbox Game Preview; Full Content Release Coming September 4

We announced that PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) will exit the Xbox Game Preview program on September 4, 2018 to Full Product Release (1.0). While PUBG Corp. will continue to enhance the game and deliver new content to Xbox players, the Full Product Release marks the culmination of our combined efforts in Xbox Game Preview, where we worked closely with the passionate and engaged Xbox community to regularly update, tune, stabilize and enhance the PUBG experience for Xbox One. For more on today’s PUBG news, read the Xbox Wire post here.

Xbox Game Pass Announces Halo: The Master Chief Collection Coming in September, a Mobile App Beta and Special Offers for New Members

Xbox Game Pass provides gamers the ultimate value and freedom to play over 100 great games for one low monthly price. It is also continuously evolving based on valuable feedback from our members and has new games added every single month, including popular releases this summer such as Fallout 4 and Rocket League. Building on this, today, we announced the latest addition to the service with Halo: The Master Chief Collection on September 1, which has been a top requested game by fans.

We are also excited to announce the release of the Xbox Game Pass app, now available on iOS and Android. Browse any of the games in the Xbox Game Pass catalog, discover new titles and download them straight to your console when you’re on your mobile device. That way, they’re ready to play the next time you turn on your Xbox One. If you haven’t tried Xbox Game Pass yet, we also have a special offer for new members. Starting today until August 31 you can get one month of Xbox Game Pass for just $2 (or equivalent local currency) and receive a second month for free in nearly all countries where Xbox Game Pass is available or check with your local retailers for other great offers. Visit here for more details or the Xbox Game Pass tab on your Xbox One. For more on today’s Xbox Game Pass announcements, read the Xbox Wire post here.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps Reveals New Gameplay

We got a closer look at the highly anticipated sequel Ori and the Will of the Wisps, with a focus on the new Spirit Trials feature. These fast paced, highly repayable race sequences spread throughout the game allow Ori players to compete asynchronously with other members of the community for in-game rewards and placement on the Spirit Trials leaderboards. Fans at gamescom will get a chance to check out Ori’s immersive world, dynamic combat mechanics, gripping enemy encounters and challenging puzzles for themselves. Ori and the Will of the Wisps releases on Xbox One and Windows 10 in 2019.

Undead Labs Keeps the Zombies Coming with State of Decay 2’s Daybreak Pack

Zombie killing fans will be happy to hear that Undead Labs is continuing their post-release momentum through new add-on content for State of Decay 2. Daybreak Pack will give fans more of the multiplayer action they’ve been asking for with an all-new siege defense game mode that gives players the ability to fight zombies, complete missions and earn rewards as a respawning Red Talon soldier with up to three friends. It will be available on Sept. 12. State of Decay 2 is available on Xbox One, Windows 10, and also included with Xbox Game Pass. For more on today’s State of Decay 2 Daybreak Pack announcement, read the Xbox Wire post here.

Journey to Perilous New Lands in Sea of Thieves Forsaken Shores

Today, we also gave players their first look at our third major free content update for Sea of Thieves in The Forsaken Shores. Launching September 19, and also available within Xbox Game Pass, The Forsaken Shores will take players to The Devil’s Roar to encounter brand new environmental perils with volcanoes, geysers and earthquakes added to the game. With more than five million pirates around the globe, The Forsaken Shores further expands the ever-growing world of Sea of Thieves.

From Blockbuster Titles to Innovative Indies, Games Play Best on Xbox One

Xbox One continues to be the best place to play the biggest and best blockbuster games, including over 220 titles enhanced for Xbox One X, the world’s most powerful console. Dozens of new games from some of the world’s most talented creators are coming to the platform, such as Bethesda’s Fallout 76, Ubisoft Massive’s The Division 2, Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2, Square-Enix’s Kingdom Hearts 3, Capcom’s Devil May Cry 5, Electronic Arts’ Battlefield V, 4A Games’ Metro Exodus, Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops IV and Square Enix Montreal’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider, with many enhanced for Xbox One X. On today’s episode of Inside Xbox, we took an in-depth look at a number of these titles, including:

*Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 (Ubisoft Massive): Developed by Ubisoft Massive and the same teams that brought you Tom Clancy’s The Division, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is an online open-world, action-shooter RPG experience set in a collapsing and fractured Washington, D.C. This rich new setting combines a wide variety of beautiful, iconic and realistic environments where the player will experience the series’ trademark for authenticity in world- building, rich RPG systems, and fast-paced action like never before. Play solo or co-op with a team of up to four players to complete a wide range of activities, from the main campaign and adversarial PvP matches to the Dark Zone — where anything can happen.

*Fallout 76 (Bethesda): The award-winning creators of Skyrim and Fallout 4 welcome you to Fallout 76 — a stunning prequel and the largest world ever created in the legendary Fallout universe. Set in the hills of West Virginia, you are one of the first to emerge, into a new and untamed wasteland.

*Devil May Cry 5 (Capcom): A brand-new entry in the legendary over-the-top action series comes to Xbox One in spring 2019, complete with its signature blend of high-octane stylized action and otherworldly and original characters the series is known for. Years have passed since the legions of hell have set foot in this world, but now a new demonic invasion has begun, and humanity’s last hope will rest in the hands of three lone demon hunters, each offering a radically different play style. United by fate and a thirst for vengeance, these demon hunters will have to face their demons if they hope to survive. The devil you know returns in the most over the top, technically advanced, utterly insane action experience of this generation. Devil May Cry 5 unleashes its demonic fury on March 8, 2019.

*The Dark Pictures (Bandai Namco Entertainment): From the developers of Until Dawn comes The Dark Pictures – a series of intense, standalone, branching cinematic horror games that combine state of the art graphics with powerful storytelling to create a terrifying new gaming experience. Man of Medan is the first game in the Dark Pictures Anthology, bringing supernatural horror to the South Pacific. Five friends set sail on a holiday diving trip. With a rumoured WWII wreck to find, and plenty of on-deck partying to be had, the group is ready for what should be the dive trip of a lifetime. As the day unfolds, and a storm rolls in, their trip soon changes into something much more sinister and terrifying. As the player, you’ll get to shape the story through your actions and decisions. Who will live and who will die is up to you. Can you save them all?

*Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Square Enix Montreal): Experience Lara Croft’s defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara must master a deadly jungle, overcome terrifying tombs, and persevere through her darkest hour. As she races to save the world from a Mayan apocalypse, Lara will ultimately be forged into the Tomb Raider she is destined to be.

Five Great Games are Coming to Steam and PC Disc on September 14

There’s lots of big Xbox One news here at gamescom, but we’ve got some news for PC gamers too, with our announcement of five games soon to be available via Steam and on PC disc. ReCore: Definitive Edition is an action-packed adventure in which charming robotic companions are your key to saving humankind. We’ve also got four great titles that everyone in the family can enjoy. Super Lucky’s Tale is a delightful 3D platformer that follows the adventures of a brave fox named Lucky on his quest to help his sister rescue the mysterious Book of Ages. Disneyland Adventures allows Disney fans of all ages to explore Disneyland park, embarking on quests, meeting characters and more. In the 3D platforming game Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure, fans can visit the worlds of six beloved Disney-Pixar films to solve puzzles and uncover hidden secrets. Finally, you can create the zoo of your dreams with Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection. Don’t miss them!

Finally, come down to our booth at gamescom this year and visit the Inside Xbox Lounge in association with Samsung. The lounge marks the start of an official partnership between Samsung and Xbox in Europe – it’s an area to chillout away from the busy show floor to experience the ‘Unbeatable Combination’ of Samsung’s premium QLED 4K TVs, alongside Xbox One X, the most powerful console in the world!

Will Tuttle, Xbox Wire Editor in Chief, put together a recap of Inside Xbox Episode 3. Details below + the full VOD is also available.

Earlier today Inside Xbox Episode 3 aired, continuing to pull back the curtain on Team Xbox to celebrate our games, features, and fans. This episode was full of a variety of projects Xbox is working on, like new content coming soon to Sea of Thieves and updates to The Master Chief Collection, as well as the official reveal of a specially designed controller allowing more gamers to enjoy video games despite any restrictions they may have. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at some of the biggest news coming out of this month’s episode of Inside Xbox.

First Look at Sea of Thieves: The Hungering Deep

Sea of Thieves hit the open water just two short months ago, starting us off on a grand pirate adventure. Since then we’ve traversed storms, explored sunken ships, and (if we were lucky) faced off with a kraken. Now it’s time to prepare for even greater dangers and adventure in The Hungering Deep later this month in Sea of Thieves. Stay tuned to Xbox Wire and the official Sea of Thieves site for more details on The Hungering Deep as we get closer to launch.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Desert Map Launch Date Revealed

Having been available to Xbox players on the PUBG test servers for a few weeks, we’re excited to reveal that May 24 will be the public launch date of the Miramar map – also commonly known as the Desert Map. A huge thank you to those players who have helped the development team squash bugs and provide feedback. We can’t wait to drop in on this new map!

State of Decay 2 Community Q&A

Richard Foge, Jeff Strain, and Wonder Russell from Undead Labs stopped by take community questions about the soon-to-be-released zombie apocalypse survival game State of Decay 2, covering such topics as four-player co-op, including the benefits for players joining another friend’s game, how the world simulation builds dynamic, emergent gameplay, and what opportunities and challenges fan can expect to face in the world.

Revealing the Xbox Adaptive Controller

One of our biggest features of today’s episode of Inside Xbox was an in-depth look at our newest piece of hardware which we believe will enable and empower even more Xbox One and Windows 10 gamers across the globe: The Xbox Adaptive Controller.

In this segment, we learned how the team at Microsoft took an inclusive design approach, and considerations of gamers who might not be able to reach all the bumpers and triggers or hold a controller for an extended period, designed a controller that provides a way for more fans to enjoy gaming.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller has been years in the making and has been a passion project for people around the world, both inside Microsoft and beyond. The team was thrilled to introduce it to the world today, tell the story behind it, and take what they have learned to inform future initiatives in inclusive design.

No Man’s Sky Details

Hello Games took to the stage here at Inside Xbox to give some more details on the Xbox One version of the upcoming No Man’s Sky, including the first details on multiplayer, additional content coming to the game, as well as what work was put into making the game Xbox One X Enhanced. We’ll have more details to share on No Man’s Sky: Next in the coming months here on Xbox Wire.

Forza Motorsport 7 Update

Brian Ekberg from Turn 10 Studios joined us to talk about quite a few exciting updates and features coming soon to the award-winning racing game Forza Motorsport 7. The team outlined a brand-new series of features for multiplayer, including the new Forza Race Regulations, which not only create a more fair, skillful online experience but also teach players how to improve in online competition. This includes new track limits, which highlight when you’re about to go off-track.

Based on community feedback, the team is also introducing Time Attack back into Forza Motorsport 7, with every track, ribbon and class having a time attack associated with it.

Turn 10 also announced that the team is experimenting with a new drag-race mode, including custom stats and mechanics, such as free rev, to help create a true, simulated drag racing experience. This experience is still early in development, so keep your eyes here on Xbox Wire for more information as it becomes available.

Brian Jarrard and James Monosmith from 343 Industries came to the show today to talk about a brand-new Halo arcade experience called Halo: Fireteam Raven, built in partnership with acclaimed arcade-game developers Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix. Sporting a 130-inch, 4K screen experience and four turret-mounted multipurpose machineguns, Halo: Fireteam Raven is set to offer a Halo adventure unlike any other. Fans can play it first this summer at Dave & Buster’s in the US and Canada, and expanding to more locations this Fall. In addition, Brian and James provided the latest details of the Halo: The Master Chief Collection update, following through on the team’s commitment to make this the definitive Halo collection with improvements to multiplayer functionality and Xbox One X enhancements.

The Gears Pro Circuit and Halo Championship Series Join Forces

Joining us to talk competitive gaming was Tahir “Tashi” Hasandjekic, Lead Esports Producer at 343 Industries, about teaming up with The Coalition and Major League Gaming to bring Halo and Gears of War together for a unique esports event in New Orleans on July 13-15. The event will feature hundreds of players, two main stages, multiple feature stations and two open bracket areas – and both tournaments will feature a $250,000 prize pool! More details are available at Halo.gg and Gears.gg.

A Look at Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition

Michael Douse from Larian Studios to share with us a look at one of the most critically acclaimed RPGs in Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition, which is available now via the Xbox Game Preview program on Xbox One.

Thanks to everyone who tuned in! We hope you enjoyed the show and we can’t wait to tell you all about next month’s episode in a few weeks.

Phil Spencer, Head of Gaming at Xbox, discusses a major update to the Xbox Game Pass program. Details below:

When we launched Xbox Game Pass in June 2017, we knew we wanted to craft a service with gamers in mind. That meant a diverse, expanding library of over 100 games and counting, matched with one monthly price and unlimited access to download and play full-fidelity experiences.

We’ve been blown away by the incredible response. Following launch, we heard from fans around the world who wanted Xbox Game Pass in their country. In September, we expanded globally and Xbox Game Pass is now available to fans in 40 countries. We’ve also continued to expand the catalog with new games added to the Xbox Game Pass library every month, so there is always something new to play.

We know our fans value having a variety of games to play at a low monthly price. We’ve also heard from fans that the ability to play new blockbuster games in Xbox Game Pass is important. So we’ve continued to explore new ideas to make this possible.

Today, we’re excited to announce plans for a major expansion to Xbox Game Pass that underscores our commitment to deliver our fans the ultimate gaming subscription service.

Moving forward, we plan to release all new Xbox One exclusive games from Microsoft Studios into Xbox Game Pass on the same date as their global release. This means that when Sea of Thieves launches on March 20, it will be included in Xbox Game Pass to all members.

This plan to bring new games timed with their global release into Xbox Game Pass not only includes announced titles like Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, and Crackdown 3 but future unannounced games from Microsoft Studios including new iterations of our biggest Xbox One exclusive franchises such as Halo, Forza and Gears of War, on the same day they launch.

Our fans have also asked for more choice in the subscription offerings available for Xbox Game Pass. As part of today’s library expansion, we are also pleased to announce that we are working closely with our retail partners, such as GameStop, to offer a 6-month Xbox Game Pass subscription card for those fans who look for a variety of ways to purchase and enjoy new games and services. The 6-month Xbox Game Pass subscription card will be available at select retail partners for $59.99 beginning March 20. By working closely with retail partners, Xbox Game Pass will have valuable ambassadors in popular destinations for gamers to discover new and exciting games and enjoy community.

With the addition of more great games, new blockbuster releases and a new subscription offer, we are giving fans more choice and value in how they discover and enjoy games – purchase games for their permanent library or play through Xbox Game Pass for one low price.

We’ve only scratched the surface of the opportunity this new model brings to the industry and what we can deliver to our fans. We firmly believe Xbox Game Pass will be a catalyst to create new opportunities for game developers and publishers to innovate in the way games are developed and delivered, leading to entirely new ways to play.

We’re truly humbled by the incredible response we’ve received to date for Xbox Game Pass, and we look forward to offering an unprecedented choice and value with Xbox Game Pass this spring and beyond.

Halo 5: Guardians, the most expansive Halo game ever released, will be free for Xbox Live Gold members from Thursday, January 11 at 12:01 a.m. PST until Sunday, January 14 at 10:59 p.m. PST. During this time, players can download the game and experience the latest chapter in the Halo saga spanning multiple worlds and a journey that will change the course of history and the future of mankind. Fans can enjoy this grand campaign solo or with up to three friends via online co-op. Xbox Live Gold members can jump into Halo 5‘s epic multiplayer modes as well.

Additionally Halo 5 Standard and Deluxe Editions are on sale for all Xbox Live members from now until 14 January.

Game Description: Real-time strategy makes an explosive return to the Halo universe in Halo Wars 2. Build and lead powerful armies, experience an all-new story told across action-packed campaign missions and play against friends online in a variety of multiplayer modes. All playable on 4K graphics in HDR on the Xbox One X and Windows 10.

This bundle includes Halo Wars 2, Halo Wars 2: Season Pass and Awakening the Nightmare DLC (5 campaign missions, 2 new multiplayer leaders, and an all new tower-defense co-op mode – Terminus Firefight).

Game Description: Set early in the iconic war between the Covenant and UNSC – made famous by the Halo FPS games – Halo Wars: Definitive Edition provides a unique angle on the war while bringing new heroes to the battlefield. Control large Halo armies and direct them in action-packed warfare. Halo Wars: Definitive Edition includes improved graphics, new achievements and all the DLC from the landmark game. Re-live the epic campaign or compete in online multiplayer battles with armies of powerful Halo forces at your command.

Halo Wars: Definitive Edition is now available for individual purchase on Xbox One, Windows 10 PC.

We’re celebrating the 15 year anniversary of Halo and Xbox this week and to promote the special occasion we’re adding a number of new images to the Xbox One gamerpic gallery. These new images are starting to roll out over the coming days but may take some time to appear in all Xbox Live regions. To change your gamerpic, go to Settings, About Me, Customize profile, Change gamerpic (this may vary if you’re a Preview Program member with the New Xbox One Experience).

Browse the gallery and you should see the new Halo And Xbox 15 Year Anniversary images – shown below: